Wire gate latch

ABSTRACT

A mount is provided for securement to the upper portion of a fence post and with an upper portion of the mount projecting above the associated fence post. A first L-shaped operating lever is pivotably attached at the free end of its short arm to the upper portion of the mount for swinging of the operating lever about a horizontal axis extending transversely of an associated fence and a plane containing the short and long arms of the operating lever and the free end of the short leg of a second Lshaped lever is pivotably attached to the base end of the long arm of the operating lever adjacent the short arm thereof with the free end of the long leg of the second lever being provided with anchor structure engageable with a wire gate end post.

United States Patent 1 Lile [ WIRE GATE LATCH [76] Inventor: Pleasant M. Lile, Box No. 38, 3536 Beecraft Ln., R.R. No. 2, Billings, Mont. 59101 [22] Filed: Jan. 11, 1974 [21] Appl. No.1 432,640

[ 1 June 24, 1975 Primary Examiner-Robert L. Wolfe Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Clarence A. O'Brien; Harvey B. Jacobson 1 ABSTRACT A mount is provided for securement to the upper portion of a fence post and with an upper portion of the mount projecting above the associated fence post. A first L-shaped operating lever is pivotably attached at the free end of its short arm to the upper portion of the mount for swinging of the operating lever about a horizontal axis extending transversely of an associated fence and a plane containing the short and long arms of the operating lever and the free end of the short leg of a second L-shaped lever is pivotably attached to the base end of the long arm of the operating lever adjacent the short arm thereof with the free end of the long leg of the second lever being provided with an chor structure engageable with a wire gate end post.

6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures WIRE GATE LATCH BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Similar wire gate latches are disclosed in prior U.S. Pats. Nos. 564,162 to G. Roth, dated July 14, 1896; 882,692 to G. O. Kidder, dated Mar. 24, 1908, 2,575,947 to E. A. Etnyre, dated Nov. 20, 1951 and 2,613,972 to M. E. Gifford, dated Oct. 14, 1952.

However, some of these prior wire gate latches include actuating lever portions which are supported from the associated wire gate end member as opposed to from an adjacent stationary post member and these wire gate end member mounted levers are difficult to actuate due to their being pivotably supported from reasonably freely movable support portions. In addition, while some wire gate latch constructions may be provided with pivotable actuators supported from stationary post members, the latch construction of the instant invention includes structural features whereby it may be relatively easily actuated and yet be capable of exerting considerable tensioning forces on an associated wire gate.

Further, the wire gate latch specifically describe and claimed hereinafter utilizes readily available components requiring only simple manufacturing processes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The latch is mounted on an associated stationary post as opposed to a relatively freely movable wire gate end in order to enable the actuator of the latch to be more positively operated. Also, the latch includes an operative association with an adjacent wire gate end such that varying spacing between the wire gate end and the post upon which the latch is mounted may be readily compensated for.

It is the main object of this invention to provide a wire gate latch which will be easy to operate and yet which will be capable of heavily tensioning an associated wire gate while securing the latter in a closed position.

Another object of this invention is to provide a latch construction which may be more positively actuated.

A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide a latch construction in accordance with the preceding objects and which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble free in operation.

These together with otherobjects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the latch of the instant invention operatively associated with fragmentarily illustrated portions of a supporting fence post and an associated wire gate and with the latch in the closed posi' tion;

FIG. 2 is a top planned view of the gate latch;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary vertical section of the view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the sectional line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the gate latch in a closed position; and

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the gate latch in open position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the numeral designates a fence post defining one side of an opening through a fence, and the numeral 12 designates an end upright of a wire gate 14 to be tensioned across the fence opening.

The latch of the instant invention is referred to in general by the reference numeral 16 and includes a mount 18, first and second L-shaped levers 20 and 22 and an attaching and tensioning loop 24. The mount 18 comprises a relatively thick strap 26 of metal. The strap 26 is vertically disposed and includes relatively twisted upper and lower sections 28 and 30. The lower section 28 is provided with a pair of vertically and longitudinally spaced apertures 32 and the upper section is twisted 90 degrees about the longitudinal centerline of the strap 26 relative to the lower section 28. The lower section 28 is secured to the side of the post 19 remote from the fence opening by means of fasteners 34 secured through the apertures 32 and embedded in the post 10. The upper terminal end of the upper section 30 projects above the post 10 and has the free end of the short arm 36 of the first lever 20 pivotably secured thereto by means of a fastener 38 secured through the free end of the short arm 36 and the upper terminal end of the upper section 30. The lever 20 includes a long arm 40 and comprises a pair of spaced side-by-side L- shaped members 42 and 44 joined by means of an integral reversely bent portion 46 at the free end of the long arm 40.

A short elongated stop bar 48 has one end thereof secured to the mid-portions of the L-shaped members 42 and 44 defining the long arm 40 in any convenient manner such as by welding, and the bar 48 prejects outwardly from the long arm 40 toward the central portion of the lower section 28 of the mount 18 disposed between the apertures 32 for abutting engagement with the lower section 28 in the area 50 thereof, see FIG. 3.

The lever 22 includes a short leg 52 and a long leg 54 and the free end of the short leg 52 is pivotably secured between those portions of the L-shaped members 42 and 44 defining the end of the long arm 40 adjacent the short arm 36 by means of a fastener 56. In addition, the free end of the long leg 54 of the lever 22 is twisted 90 about the longitudinal centerline of the long leg 54 and is provided with a reverse returned hook portion 58 with which one end of the elongated loop 24 is releasably engaged.

The upright or stick 12 has one end of the loop 24 secured thereabout by means of staples 60 holding the loop 24 firmly in place on the stick 12 against sliding therealong.

In operation, attention is invited to FIG. 5 of the drawings wherein it will be seen that the latch 16 is in the open position with the wire gate 14 in an untensioned condition and the upper end of the upright 12 inclined away from the upper end of the post 10.

Assuming that the reversely bent portion 58, carried by the free end of the long leg 54 of the lever 22, is engaged with the loop 24 the free end of the long arm 40 is swung in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 5 of the drawings to the position thereof illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawings with the abutment bar 48 abutted against the lower section 28 of the mount 18. In this position, the pivot fastener 56 is swung to an over center position of the underside of a straight line extending through the fastener 38 and the end of the loop anchored to the stick 12. Thus, the tension of the wire gate 14 serves to resist movement of the lever 20 in a clockwise direction away from the position thereof illustrated in FIG. 4.

By utilizing the lever 22 instead of merely providing the lever 20 with a notch or reversely bent portion in which the end of the loop 24 could be engaged, the operating lever 20 may be readily positioned on the side of the post remote from the wire gate 14. In addition, the provision of the lever 22 enables a substantially horizontal pull to be exerted on the loop 24 and thus minimizes any tendency of the upright 12 to be shifted vertically as the wire gate 14 is being tensioned and latched in the closed position. Also, by positioning the mount 18 on the side of the post 10 remote from the wire gate 14, a reasonably simple mounting of the mount 18 on the post 10 will be capable of resisting the tension stresses applied on the wire gate 14 by the latch 16.

Further, it is merely necessary to utilize a loop 24 of a different length in order to vary the tension of the wire gate 14 and to compensate for varying distances between the post 10 and the upright 12.

The foregoing is considered-as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination with an upright post adapted to have one end of a wire gate drawn toward one side thereof, a wire gate latch comprising a bracket mounted from the upper end portion of said post and including an upper portion disposed slightly above the upper end of the opposite side of said post, a first inverted L-shaped lever disposed outwardly of said opposite side and including a short upper horizontal arm projecting toward said post at an elevation above the upper end thereof and a long lower upstanding arm extending downwardly along said post, the free end portion of said horizontal arm being pivotally supported from said upper bracket portion for swinging of said lever about a first axis generally normal to a plane containing said arms, a second horizontal L-shaped lever including a long horizontal leg disposed above and extending across the upper end of said post and a short upstanding leg projecting downwardly along said opposite side, means pivotally securing the free lower end of said short leg to the upper base end of said long arm adjacent said short arm for pivotal movement about a second axis generally paralleling the first axis and with said short leg defining an extension of the base end of said long arm and said long leg elevated at least slightly above, generally paralleling and extending beyond the free end portion of said short arm, said long leg and said bracket including coactive abutment means limiting swinging movement of the free lower end portion of said long arm toward said post to a position with said second axis swung slightly downwardly through a line extending between the free end of said long leg and said first axis, said long leg including anchor means on its free end remote from said short leg adapted for removable anchoring to said one end of said wire gate, the lower free end of said long arm being swingable outwardly and upwardly from said opposite side of said post and thereafter upwardly and inwardly over the upper end of said post to thereby shift said second axis over the top of said post toward said one side thereof.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said first L- shaped lever comprises a pair of spaced side-by-side L- shaped members, the free end of said short leg being disposed between said L-shaped members.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said upper bracket portion is pivotally received between said L- shaped members.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said bracket includes an upstanding strap twisted intermediate its upper and lower ends, the lower end portion of said strap having mounting apertures formed therethrough.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said anchor means includes a terminal end portion on the free end of said short leg hooked downwardly and rearwardly toward said long leg.

6. The combination of claim 3 wherein said coacting abutment means includes an elongated abutment member having one end thereof secured between those portions of said L-shaped members defining the midportion of said long arm and the other end of said abutment member projecting outwardly from said long leg in the same direction in which said short leg projects for abutment with a lower portion of said bracket overlying said opposite side of said post. 

1. In combination with an upright post adapted to have one end of a wire gate drawn toward one side thereof, a wire gate latch comprising a bracket mounted from the upper end portion of said post and including an upper portion disposed slightly above the upper end of the opposite side of said post, a first inverted Lshaped lever disposed outwardly of said opposite side and including a short upper horizontal arm projecting toward said post at an elevation above the upper end thereof and a long lower upstanding arm extending downwardly along said post, the free end portion of said horizontal arm being pivotally supported from said upper bracket portion for swinging of said lever about a first axis generally normal to a plane containing said arms, a second horizontal L-shaped lever including a long horizontal leg disposed above and extending across the upper end of said post and a short upstanding leg projecting downwardly along said opposite side, means pivotally securing the free lower end of said short leg to the upper base end of said long arm adjacent said short arm for pivotal movement about a second axis generally paralleling the first axis and with said short leg defining an extension of the base end of said long arm and said long leg elevated at least slightly above, generally paralleling and extending beyond the free end portion of said short arm, said long leg and said bracket including coactive abutment means limiting swinging movement of the free lower end portion of said long arm toward said post to a position with said second axis swung slightly downwardly through a line extending between the free end of said long leg and said first axis, said long leg including anchor means on its free end remote from said short leg adapted for removable anchoring to said one end of said wire gate, the lower free end of said long arm being swingable outwardly and upwardly from said opposite side of said post and thereafter upwardly and inwardly over the upper end of said post to thereby shift said second axis over the top of said post toward said one side thereof.
 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said first L-shaped lever comprises a pair of spaced side-by-sidE L-shaped members, the free end of said short leg being disposed between said L-shaped members.
 3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said upper bracket portion is pivotally received between said L-shaped members.
 4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said bracket includes an upstanding strap twisted 90* intermediate its upper and lower ends, the lower end portion of said strap having mounting apertures formed therethrough.
 5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said anchor means includes a terminal end portion on the free end of said short leg hooked downwardly and rearwardly toward said long leg.
 6. The combination of claim 3 wherein said coacting abutment means includes an elongated abutment member having one end thereof secured between those portions of said L-shaped members defining the mid-portion of said long arm and the other end of said abutment member projecting outwardly from said long leg in the same direction in which said short leg projects for abutment with a lower portion of said bracket overlying said opposite side of said post. 